NBC’s long-running soap opera Days of Our Lives will be leaving broadcast television after 57 years on to stream exclusively on Peacock, the network announced on Wednesday. The change means that fans who previously have been able to watch the show for free on broadcast will now have to pay for a streaming service to learn what happens next in the show’s fictional town of Salem. New episodes of Days of Our Lives will debut beginning September 12th.
“With a large percentage of the Days of Our Lives audience already watching digitally, this move enables us to build the show’s loyal fanbase on streaming while simultaneously bolstering the network daytime offering with an urgent, live programming opportunity for partners and consumers,” Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said in a press release.
The change moves another stalwart of broadcast television exclusively to streaming. In April, Disney announced that it would be bringing Dancing With the Stars to Disney Plus, and just said on Wednesday that season 31 would be premiering on September 19th. NBC has already debuted two seasons of a Days of Our Lives spinoff titled Beyond Salem on Peacock.
Disclosure: Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal, is also an investor in Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company.
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